racism

my students were making an art project today, a family tree of the Biblical patriarchs. two groups chose to make a collage using random faces they found in magazines to represent each person from the four generation.

One group had a choice of mostly white persons with a few Asian and African American between them.

the other group had all white but one. this one was a bigger picture of an African- American man. They put him as the "bad boy" Ismael. Isaac, his "good" brother, was represented by a blond guy with curly hair.

I asked them why they chose this particular picture... they didn't know, just "randomly". But I dont' think it was "random". It's sad how deeply the racist stereotypes and prejudices run, unconscious decision to make the bad guy Black, and the good guy angelic white...